SLCene Suggests: The English Beat at The Depot

THE ENGLISH BEAT, THE DEPOT, Friday, Nov. 16, 9 p.m., $20 advance, $25 day of show

This has been a big year for the English Beat, which is saying something considering the group hasn’t put out any new music in decades. In fact, what we see coming through town on town as the English Beat is really just singer/guitarist Dave Wakeling and a fine batch of hired guns taking the place of Wakeling’s original peers in the New Wave/ska band that formed in England in 1978. And that’s just fine, because unlike so many aging rockers, Wakeling’s voice still sounds great, delivering classic songs like “Best Friend,” “Hands Off, She’s Mine” and “Ranking Full Stop” with east, and a lot of good humor. So what made 2012 a big year for the group? The release of The Complete Beat, a five-disc box set that contains remastered versions of the band’s three proper albums, as well as two discs of remixes and live performances that are exciting new finds for longtime fans like myself. As with past visits by Wakeling’s English Beat, expect a full night of great songs, and expect to work up a sweat dancing to some of the ’80s best songs. Local ska kings Insatiable opens the show.

(photo by J. Butler, courtesy EnglishBeat.net)